It is what it is
by Nadin4400
Summary: Jenna finds out the truth about the vampires after she is attacked by one. Jalaric maily, mentions of other characters


**Title**: It is what it is

**Summary**: Jenna finds out the truth about the vampires in Mystic Falls after she is attacked by one

**Characters**: Jenna, Alaric, Isobel, mentions of Jeremy and Elena

**Spoilers**: Throughout Season 01

**Timeline**: After _Isobel_ but before the end of Season finale

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anyone, just borrowed them for a little while. Promise to give them all back unharmed, more or less

**Author's Note**: I didn't quite plan to write fic, it was more of an impulse. Surely, this ship does not get enough attention on the show, there are too many white spots in their relationship. But I like the idea and I hope they will get a chance. Honestly, of all the couples that exist on the show, I believe this one has the best chances for a happy ending. But it's just my opinion.

Oh, and… I took the name of the song by Lifehouse for the fic title :) The lyrics just seemed right. And I was kinda inspired by this song, too.

* * *

_~I was only trying to bury the pain  
But I made you cry, and I can't stop the crying  
Was only trying to save me  
But I lost you again  
Now there's only lying  
Wish I could say it's only me_

"_It is what it is" by Lifehose~_

It was all too vivid in her mind yet. Late evening, dark alley, a huge mistake of a decision to take a short cut home on a belated regret of not taking the car in the first place.

Jenna saw the movement out of the corner of her eye. A blur of a movement actually. It was silent and smooth as a shadow, and for a moment she even thought with relief that it was just her imagination fueled by late time and primitive fear of the darkness. The dim light cast by the old streetlamp was barely enough to save her from stumbling and falling.

She stopped and turned around, her heart pounding dully against her ribs. The alley behind her was narrow, with the windowless brick walls of the buildings towering up into the night sky. It was quiet and empty, too, and Jenna had an immense wish to giggle at her own jumpiness. She wasn't the one to give in to panic like that.

It was probably rats, or a cat, she decided in the end. Or a cloud that covered silver disk of a moon for a moment and caused that trick of light. Should have walked two extra blocks along the street, Jenna thought. The street with actual, honest to God, streetlamps and people. It would cost her ten minutes and a whole lot of nerve cells, not to mention grey hair.

Embarrassed by her own reaction, Jenna turned around and continued to walk even more eager to get home as fast as possibly could.

And then… she didn't know how it happened. Later, analyzing the moment, she understood that there was no sound, not even the slightest stir of air, but suddenly her heart leaped and she knew – just knew, irrationally and inexplicably – that something was going to happen. Something big. Something bad. Something so scary that even the air around her became thick and freezing cold. And she knew all at once that she had never been scared in her entire life. Whatever she felt before had nothing to do with what she was feeling that moment, standing in the middle of the dark alley, unable to make another step. Or even take a breath.

She barely had time to half-turn her head, half hoping that it was still nothing, when she was swept off of her feet, thrown sideways and pinned to the rough brick wall, her shoulder-blades hitting it with such force that Jenna feared they might crack. Or would have feared, had she been capable of thinking, what with her head smashing into the wall so hard that it started to ring, the stars dancing before her eyes. In the back of her mind she wondered absently if the wall survived the violation, or if it lost a brick or two.

The blow deafened and pretty much paralyzed her for a while, and the sound of her bag sliding down her shoulder and hitting the pavement at her feet seemed to be strangely loud and unreal, like in the movie when all the sounds were exaggerated to make better effect. The world suddenly narrowed to her, her pain and the coolness of the wall that she could feel even through her jacket. She tried to grasp at something, preferably at something that would stop the said world from spinning, but failed miserably. The thoughts were chaotic in her head and concentrating even on simplest of them was an impossible talk.

She didn't know how long it lasted but when she opened her eyes slowly, it occurred to her that she had hardly been out of her senses for more than half a minute. It felt like hours.

Opening her eyes was the second bad decision of the day. Should have just passed out, she thought feeling the chill run down her spine. God knew, it would have been a blessing.

She saw the eyes first, dark and narrowed, glowing eerily at her. Their emptiness struck Jenna for a moment, and then she all but gasped when her ears registered low, almost animal snarl and her gaze took in canine teeth bared as if for attack.

The woman – and thick dark curls that didn't go well with the picture implied that it was a female – was holding her tight, her arm at Jenna's throat, making the whole breathing thing somewhat difficult and unpleasant. Jenna swallowed hard nearly chocking, paralyzed with fear. Her mind refused to accept the reality of what was going on.

So much for a short cut home, she thought with despair.

She felt dizzy and sick, her head was spinning, and bloody hell, it wasn't the way she wanted to die!

Jenna opened her mouth to say something, ask something. She just had to know what it was about – she had to do _something_! – but the pressure on her throat grew stronger cutting her off. Low hiss escaped woman's mouth and Jenna suddenly realized that she was all but held hanging, her toes barely touching the asphalt at the base of the wall.

And then she saw what made her blood run cold.

The woman's eyes filled with blood and the dark veins showed up through the skin all around them making it look like the woman's face was just a porcelain mask that started to crack and break to reveal her real dark self. She tensed like a snake before the spring, and so did Jenna when it occurred to her that these cold hungry eyes would probably be the last thing she'd see in her life. She braced herself for the inevitable – it was foolish to even contemplate fighting back when she was immobilized like that – and fought to keep her own eyes open.

Time seemed to stretch forever and Jenna suddenly found herself feeling somewhat lightheaded. Everything sharpened, the smells, the sounds. She realized that her attacker's eyes were deep blue and not black like she first thought. And she also caught faint scent of lilies and leather, probably from the woman's coat. It was all lack of oxygen, Jenna thought. Not that it mattered. Not that anything mattered now that she was living her last moments.

And then… and then the woman stilled, and whipped her head to the left. And in a moment after that Jenna heard what must have drawn her attacker's attention.

Footsteps. Oddly loud in the silence of the alley, they were even and sure. Obviously, whoever was walking down the narrow passage had no idea that he had company. He was either too far away yet, or the darkness was a very good cover.

Jenna didn't dare to turn her head or open her mouth knowing that some extra pressure or accidental movement would easily break her neck. Not that she was able to cry for help anyway. All she could do was wait… and pray. She caught her breath not daring to hope and closed her eyes for a moment. Please, help me. Please…

Suddenly the footsteps stopped, but only for a moment, and then started again, quicker and louder this time, as if the person started to run.

"Hey!" The voice shouted out from the darkness.

The woman cursed, which came out as a mixture of a hiss and a shriek, and then her arm was gone, and so was she altogether.

Jenna's knees buckled and she slid down the brick wall grasping at her throat and coughing, her head spinning like after the roller-coaster and her legs weak and trembling. Still gasping for air, she turned around but the alley was empty. The woman disappeared without a trace and as soundlessly as she came.

Her savior finally reached her, breathing hard from the run. "Hey, you okay? What's…" He cut off. "Jenna?"

"Ric?" She forced out, her voice hoarse and as loud as a whisper.

"Oh my God…" he crouched beside her, his eyes traveled up and down her body searching for obvious injures and stopped on her face when he found none. "What happened? Are you hurt?" His voice sounded a little frantic and more than a little panicked, and it suddenly brought her back. "Jenna?" When she didn't answer, he reached out to brush the hair off of her forehead, and cupped her cheek with his palm. "Look at me."

It was almost impossible to believe that he was there and everything was over. That she was alive. "No, I'm…" she swallowed hard and threw another glance over her shoulder. Her whole body started to shake when the thought that she nearly died just a few minutes ago kicked in. "My head…" _is somewhere here, I just need to find it_. Her fingers went up to the back of her head and she winced when they touched the spot that throbbed dully.

Alaric frowned. "I will take you to the hospital."

"No. No, it's nothing, I'm okay," she reassured him knowing that he didn't buy it. She wouldn't either. But she didn't want to go to the hospital. What she really wanted was to get the hell out of here.

He eyed her suspiciously but didn't comment.

"Come on," Ric helped her up to her feet, and his arms closed supportively around her when Jenna swayed a little and clutched at the sleeve of his jacket for support. "Whoa, careful. You sure about the hospital?"

The concern in his voice made her heart jump up to her throat. "Yeah, I'm fine." And hell, it was hard not to give in to the wish to cling on to him. "Just a bump of a size of a tennis ball. Nothing I can't live with." It was a relief to notice that her voice sounded almost normal, even if her throat was still dry.

"Okay. Home it is, then."

Subtly, he gave the alley another studying look listening as intensely as he could for any forms of life beside Jenna and himself but everything was quiet, although he couldn't quite shake off the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows.

* * *

"Believe it or not, but it is still the best cure you can get, as of right now," Ric said as he tossed a pack of frozen beans wrapped in a kitchen towel over the counter and right at Jenna.

She caught it effortlessly. "Speaking from experience?" Asked on a raised eyebrow.

It was easy to make jokes now that she was in comforting safety of her house. The lights were on in every room of the first floor, and she checked the locks on doors and windows. Twice. It almost made her pretend for a moment that what had happened earlier that night was just a bad dream.

He chuckled. "Okay, good one. But it's true."

"I'm not saying I don't believe it," she called out over her shoulder.

Her head throbbed like hell, probably a step away from exploding, and she wished she could just black out for as long as it was necessary for this throbbing to stop. But since it wasn't an option, she went back to the living room and flopped onto the couch, one leg tucked beneath her. It felt good to listen to Ric rummaging through the kitchen as he was… Okay, she had no idea what he was doing there, but she liked it nonetheless. It was… right somehow. It felt safe.

"Here," Alaric came up to her and handed Jenna a mug of steaming hot tea before lowering himself onto the couch next to her. "And that's – for dessert," he added putting a bottle of Tylenol onto the coffee table before them.

"Cute," she commented taking the mug from him.

He watched her closely as she took a sip and then reached out and looped a strand of hair behind her ear, the back of his fingers brushing against her cheek. "Hey, you feeling better?"

"I'm fine," she smiled reassuringly at him. Her skin tingles a little where he touched it, and it was a nice feeling. "I will probably have a hell of a headache for a couple of days. But hey, some Tylenol and I'll be as good as new. Hopefully." Jenna paused. "I never got to thank you."

"There's nothing…" He started but she interrupted him.

"No, I mean it," as she looked him in the eye. "If it wasn't for you, I… Thank you, Ric."

"Anytime," he tried to joke it off.

She considered his words for a moment. "Um, no," on a small laugh. "No offence but this one time is more than enough. I appreciate the offer though."

He chuckled. "In my defense – you made a perfect damsel in distress. I couldn't resist."

"Gee, thanks," she made a face at him feeling childish for no apparent reason.

"And I still think we should have called the police," he added somewhat reproachfully.

Jenna let a skeptic smirk cross her face. "Yeah, rrrr-right. 'Officer, I was attacked by a woman who probably wanted to eat me. No, she wasn't interested in my wallet, not even a little.'" She said with mock seriousness and then cut off shaking her head.

Alaric tensed as the meaning of her words crept into his mind. "Wait… what?" The suspicion hadn't fully formed in his mind, but he already had a bad feeling about it. It was as if a bucket of cold water suddenly poured out on him.

"See? That's what I'm talking about. It sounds crazy even for me, what can I say…"

"No, Jenna, wait. I'm serious." He felt that the ground started to slip away from under his feet. "What are you talking about?"

"It was a woman who attacked me." It was only then that she realized that she never mentioned it before. "Dark hair, blue eyes. In her mid-thirties. Good-looking. Well, up to some moment." The memory of the _moment_ almost made Jenna shudder. She chewed on her lip for a moment before going on. "And there was one strange thing about her. I know there wasn't enough light but… She had canines."

This time she half expected him to laugh, to say that it wasn't possible. To react like 99 people out of 100 would. His grave expression didn't have a hint of reassurance though, and for some reason she didn't like it.

"Canines, Ric. Like an animal. And her eyes…" Jenna looked down at the mug noticing for the first time that she was clutching it with both of her hands that were still slightly shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm probably overreacting."

He stood up unable to sit still any longer and crossed the room feeling Jenna's gaze on him all the way, not going anywhere in particular, just having this need to… move somehow.

Not that he didn't see it coming, Alaric admitted to himself. He just didn't expect the anger to be so strong and consuming. It could have been someone else and he knew it. It could have been a coincidence too, although it has hardly believable. He knew it wasn't and the realization practically made his blood boil. He didn't expect to feel this rage. Not for someone who mattered so much to him - at some point in the past.

He stopped in the doorway to the living-room and turned back to face her. And he hated himself for having to do what he was about to do, but Jenna had the right to know the truth. It wasn't safe to keep this secret any longer.

"Okay, I know how it sounds." She took her reaction her way.

"Jenna-"

"But I'm not making it up-"

"I know."

"—even if I sound like a town's freak now."

"Jenna."

"What?"

"It was Isobel."

He might have as well given her another blow on the head and yet the effect wouldn't be as striking.

It took her a moment – a long moment – to process his words in her head. Slowly, she looked up from her mug and in his face, still not entirely sure she heard him right. "As in – your missing wife Isobel?" She asked. _As in - Elena's birth mother Isobel,_ flashed through her mind, and then she caught herself thinking that she didn't want to hear anything else. That whatever he could say was too much because suddenly everything was falling to pieces.

"Not so missing anymore," his smirk was bitter and humorless this time. It still hurt. Not as much as at first but enough to make him lose his ground for a little while again. But now there was something else though, and he could only assume that Jenna's involvement had something to do with it. "We need to talk," Alaric said in the end heaving a sigh. "About the real reason I came to Mystic Falls."

* * *

"You… you can't be serious." Jenna shot up from the couch and headed for the window, stopped halfway through and turned around, raking her fingers nervously through her hair. "It is insane. It's… it's a joke, right?" She asked with wild hope grasping at… at something that would bring her world back to normal.

The fire was on but she was trembling all over as if from cold. Not from external one then, she thought absently. Everything that Ric said, every single word – it all had sense, and she had no reason to doubt it – well, except for obvious reasons. But she couldn't believe it. Her mind refused to accept it as something that she would have to live with from now on.

She was looking helplessly at him, probably willing him to reassure her, to say that he was taking his words back. And he knew he'd give pretty much everything to do that. But that was something that stood between the two of them and he needed this secret out of the way, whatever the consequences could be. He couldn't keep lying to her no matter how easy the things would be if he did. He couldn't… couldn't bear the thought of facing the moment when she would have the right to accuse him of it. She was shocked now, maybe as shocked as he was when he found out the truth but he couldn't look her in the face and feed her the lies. He simply couldn't.

"I am sorry," Alaric said softly.

For what? For dropping this bomb on her? For the fact that the vampires were real? For Isobel's attack? He didn't know and knew that she didn't know either. But this was all he could actually say without sounding pathetic. And he knew that wasn't what she needed right now.

And that was it. Three words that made her realize that of all people in the world he was the one who would never say anything like that as a joke.

"Oh God." _It couldn't be happening, it… it simply couldn't!_ Her eyes drifted to the bookstand with a row of framed photographs on one of the shelves. Elena, Jeremy – alone and with their parents, her own graduation photo. Stilled moments of… normality. It felt somewhat weird to see them now that everything was falling apart around her and there was no way back.

"Jenna…"

He wished he could find the words to make it easier and more reasonable.

"I just…" she turned to him again. "I – I can't believe it. It's…"

Impossible? Crazy? Jenna fought to find the words that could actually describe what she was feeling and failed. _It's far beyond the worst nightmare I could ever imagine_, she finished in her mind.

"I know. It's a lot to take in," Alaric said with regret although Jenna couldn't figure whether this regret referred to his wife being a vampire or to the fact that he was the one who had to fill her in on all of this.

"You think so?" Okay, sarcasm wasn't exactly justified, and she hated herself for the outburst by the second. It wasn't any of his fault after all. "I'm sorry. You're right, it's a lot." _Too much even_. "So, you came here, to Mystic Falls, looking for her?"

"No, I didn't know anything about her until a few days ago. Like I said, I was sure she was long dead. I came here because that was where her research led to. I think I just wanted some proof." He paused and then spoke again, his voice somewhat duller than moments before. "That research was something that drove us apart. It took her away from me. I needed to know if it was worth it."

"Was it?" Jenna's voice was quiet.

"No." Still standing at the wall with the arms crossed on his chest, Alaric looked up and met her gaze, and desperation in his eyes made Jenna's heart fall.

"So that's… that's what had happened to her when she disappeared?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, and she knew that she shouldn't be prying, for her own sake as well as his, but the question came out before she could stop it.

"Sort of. Except that she didn't. Disappear, I mean." His lips quirked into a humorless half-smile and it struck her how much pain his voice carried. "She did it on purpose. Isobel left me to become a vampire because apparently that was what she wanted most. Something that she couldn't have with me." And went on when Jenna didn't say a word. "That's what she told me when we met. Accidentally, by the way. Not that I couldn't figure it out for myself, assuming she never bothered to contact me in all these years."

_Oh God_. She didn't know what to say to _that_. Everything seemed so wrong and unfair. And all of a sudden all her worries and shock seemed to be petty and small compared to what he had to go through.

Jenna wrapped her arms around her shoulders.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Call North Carolina PD and tell them that they can close the case maybe," he shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like there is anything I can do." He knew his voice was tired now, exhausted even, but he couldn't help it. He felt oddly calm though, as if it didn't really matter anymore. "Isobel made a choice for the both of us. All I can do now is live with it." And added, as if referring more to himself than to her. "Whatever she is now, she's not the woman I loved." Paused for a moment. "I am sorry that you had to find out about all that like this."

_Oh, tell me that!_ The laughter that escaped her was short and bitter.

"Kinda makes me wish that the Easter Bunny was real too, just for the balance." Yeah, like anything was fair in this life.

And then the silence fell, long and uncomfortable.

"It's – it's probably getting late," Jenna broke it at last.

"Oh… yeah, right. Okay." Alaric nodded reluctantly taking the hint. Opened the mouth to ask if she was sure she'd be alright all by herself but then ended up saying, "Lock the door and don't let anyone in. Vampires… there is this thing about them – they can't come in unless you invite them."

"Terrific," Jenna breathed out and looked up to find him looking back at her. "Oh, believe me, you don't have to worry about that."

He hesitated for a moment. "Be careful, okay?" in a soft voice.

"I'll be fine."

She did lock the door behind him and leaned against it taking long slow breaths, counting in her mind in hope it would help. She was a mess and she hated the feeling but she was too tired of keeping the façade. She was so tired…

_Too long we've been denying  
Now we're both tired of trying  
We hit a wall and we can't get over it  
Nothing to relive  
It's water under the bridge  
You said it, I get it  
I guess it is what it is_

"_It is what it is" by Lifehose~

* * *

_

He knew that she was there long before he saw or heard her but when he came up to the porch of his house, he knew that he wasn't alone. It was like he was attuned to the vibes that she was sending into the air. Which was weird, and not really pleasant anymore.

"Isobel."

"Hello, Ric," she stepped out of the shadows and came up to lean against the poll supporting the roof above the porch, arms crossed on her chest. Dressed in a dark leather coat and with the hair pulled up into a pony-tail, she looked eerily unreal in the dim light of the porch lamp. After all these years…

He stifled a wish to let out a short laugh of disbelief, the anger and bitter amusement building up in him. Until anger won. "What the hell do you think…"

"Relax, Ric," she interrupted him, her voice carrying a mixture of tiredness and annoyance. "I didn't know it was your girlfriend."

"Like hell you didn't!" He snapped.

"That's cute. The way you look out for her. Brings so much memories of how you looked out…" _for me_. She left the end of the phrase hang in the air. It was obvious though and she didn't really need to say it out loud.

God, who was that? He couldn't believe that this creature was once a woman he loved more than anything, the woman he wanted to spend his whole life with. He thought she was the one. He thought they were meant to be together… But she ruined everything. She ruined her very self. Everything they were, everything they could have been. She destroyed everything about their life with her bare hands. It took him years to accept it, to get over it, and now she was there again, walking on the pieces of his broken heart and opening these old wound again. Destroying what he managed to accomplish while trying not to die from pain of losing her.

"What do you want, Isobel?"

"The question is, what do _you_ want, Ric?"

"Stop playing your games. And stay away from Jenna." He crossed this short distance between them, came up the porch steps and stopped a feet away from her looking into her eyes with the intensity of a drill.

Her eyebrows show up. "Like I said, it was a mistake."

"Yeah, like I have a single reason to believe what you say," he smirk was sarcastic and didn't touch his eyes. "If you ever come close to her, if you lay say so much as a finger on her again, I swear to God I will hunt you down and stake you myself." His voice dropped by the end of the phrase but it was as firm as never before in his life, and with surprise he realized that he truly meant every word. No wavering, no hesitation. He really was capable of doing it.

"I didn't come here to mess with your life," Isobel said in a low steady voice, nothing about her eyes or face changed as if his words didn't mean anything.

"Good. Then go away and never come back."

And God help him, but he meant it, too.

Isobel's lips curled into a small half smile. Without a word she walked around him and disappeared in the darkness.

Alaric let out a deep breath fighting a wish to hit something hard and fast. Instead, he rubbed his face with his hands and peered for a moment into the shadows, but everything was still.

A year ago… Hell, two months ago he would give anything to have her back! He would give his life to know she was alive. He could do impossible, he could even kill for her probably. He would if he knew it would change anything! But now… now he didn't know anything anymore, except that he was going to actually kill Isobel if she ever tried to hurt the people he cared about. He would track her down and put an end to this nightmare. He wished he could turn the time back. He wished he never found out the truth because the oblivion of unawareness was a blessing.

There was no way back, and he knew it. All he could do now was to try and make the best of what he had. And hell if he wasn't going to.

* * *

Sometime after Alaric had left, Jenna ended up sitting on the floor in her bedroom, her back leaned against the bed and a glass of white wine in her hand. The lights were out even though the darkness seemed to be a little more frightening now than ever before.

Elena and Jeremy weren't at home, and for the first time in weeks Jenna was grateful for that. She needed some time alone, she needed to think. Otherwise she thought she was going to lose her mind.

_As if a good blow in the head wasn't enough_, she thought.

So, it was true. The vampires were real. They were hiding in the darkness and feeding on human blood. This was crazy but unfortunately not impossible anymore, and it was like being stuck in the worst of nightmares without any chance to get out ever. All the stories she laughed at, all the myths she dismayed thinking they were… well, just myths. Everything changed now. She couldn't erase the memory and couldn't turn the time back. This was something that Jenna knew she would have to learn to live with forever.

She just needed a year or two to wrap her mind around it, she thought sourly.

And Isobel was alive – well, _sort of_ – and that meant… God, she had no idea what it meant. And not only was she alive, she was also back in Mystic Falls for the reasons that Jenna didn't want to go into. That realization alone made her a little sick. The fact that she was… _a vampire_ was like a cherry on top of cake of her life. Why? Why would Isobel come back at all? After all these years? Honestly, Jenna never gave much thinking to the girl that left her newborn baby and just disappeared. And why would she? Over the years she had long forgotten that Elena was adopted.

And now… now it was all thrown right in her face, just like that, and it was hard to decide what was harder to cope with – the fact that Isobel had come back for whatever reason she had or that she wasn't actually _alive_. And Jenna had no idea what it meant for all of them. For Elena.

Oh God, Elena… Did she know? How would she feel about it? About all of it.

And Ric… It was too good to be true, huh? Whatever was going on between them, she didn't know what to do or think about it now. His love for his wife was something she wasn't sure she could or have the right to compete with. It was the end for the two of them, right? Might as well dance away as gracefully as you can, she told herself, and it was the first sober thought in a long while. She was such a fool to hope even for one goddamned second that this time… this time was for real. But no. Things just couldn't work out good for her. Not even this once. With his wife around – _what_ever she was – she didn't know where it was leaving the two of them. If anywhere at all.

After all this crap with Logan she hoped she would never have to ask herself this question again. Not with Ric. Not with the guy who brought her tea in her favorite mug. Of all the mugs on the counter he picked the one she liked most… and that was probably the most stupid thing to think about right now but she just couldn't get the image out of her head. That, and the way he was looking at her a moment before he kissed her on that Fundraising party day. Yeah, _before_ his wife showed up.

"Awesome," she muttered.

"_Lock the door and don't let anyone in. Vampires… there is this thing about them – they can't come in unless you invite them,"_ Ric said before leaving.

It caught her for no reason when she heard it first. It stuck in her mind. Until another realization came as if all the pieces of the puzzle found their right places. Logan.

"_Aren't you going to invite me in?"_ Wasn't it what Logan said when he showed up at her doorstep? And he was so persistent, so… eager to get in. Did it mean that he couldn't make his way inside without permission?

"Oh God…" Jenna breathed out and raked her fingers through her hair. Took a sip from the glass she was holding but then put it aside not really feeling the taste. Not even white wine could help her get rid of the bitterness that was growing inside of her. Could it possibly be that Logan was a vampire, too?

Now wasn't it just… _perfect_? And by the way, were there any people left in town who were not the vampires? The thought frightened her.

The air blowing in through the half open window was cold and smelled like snow. And she couldn't care less. The very idea of getting up to close the window until she froze to death seemed ridiculous.

She couldn't think, couldn't concentrate on anything. The thoughts in her head were a chaos, and the more she tried to get hold of them, the deeper she was sinking into the whirlpool of craziness. Jenna rubbed at her forehead and wished she could live this day again so that she could change the route and not go into the alley, so that she wasn't attacked. So that the secrets remained hidden for a little while longer.

* * *

"—sure, just give me a call if you stay at Bonnie's tonight, okay?"

Jenna hung up the phone, rounded the corner… and bumped into him. Literary.

"I'm sorry-" She started automatically and then, "Oh, hi," when her eyes met the familiar face.

It couldn't have been more ridiculous. And maybe that's why it happened exactly like that.

"Jenna," Alaric's face lit up, and for some reason it made her feel warm all over. "Hey. How're things-?"

"How are you?" They spoke at the same time and then cut off simultaneously. "You go first," she offered.

"Good. We're planning a fieldtrip to a battlefield not far from here later this week." And added, "With the school. All that… history stuff. Maybe Jeremy mentioned something. Should be interesting."

"He did. That… sounds exciting."

Awkward. She felt stupid, and wished she could just run away, especially after she'd been pretty much avoiding him for the past few days in the most subtle way she could muster. The prospect of actual conversation that could make things clear between them was terrifying since she had no idea how far that _clear_ could possibly go.

"Yeah, sort of." Ric chuckled although it didn't touch his eyes when they met hers. The air was chilly and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "What about you?"

"I'm fine," she smiled although they both knew what _exactly_ he was asking about. Of course they could keep dancing around the subject, and Jenna wished they would but it would hardly take them anywhere. She knew that with his question he was offering her to make a choice, and now it was up to her whether to stay in the safely on the shore or take this jump into the cold water. "I was thinking about what you said," She chose the later. "And… after a while it is not as crazy as it seemed at first.

"Really?" One of his brows arched slightly.

She paused. "No," shook her head on a small laugh. "Not even close, but I hope that if I repeat it to myself, like, a thousand of times, I will actually start to believe it."

He smiled, too. Looked at his feet, and the cracked pavement, and some yellow leaves, and then at her face again.

"You know what? Remember you said that we should take the time, be ourselves?" Waited for her to nod. "Well, I decided that I had enough. Time I mean. And I know that a vampire of a ex-wife is a lot to deal with but… what would you say if we go and have coffee… some day?"

She considered his words looking slightly surprised, then her lips broke into a small smile. "I would love to. Some day."

"Some day," he repeated.

"Yeah. Well," Jenna cleared her throat. "I should go. There's some stuff…" _Lame_. "I'll see you around then."

"Sure. Um, see you."

_There you go, Sommers_, sinsonged small evil voice inside of her head. _Go and screw it all up again. Isn't it what you always do?_

Jenna stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"Ric?"

He stopped and turned, too, looking expectedly at her. _A-a-and there you go_.

"There is this new coffee shop near the cinema. They opened two weeks ago." Jenna hesitated for a moment taking a breath. _Just do the right thing this time_. "Would you like to go and check it out now? I heard the coffee is great."

For a moment, a very long moment that lasted forever, it seemed like he was going to refuse, and her heart fell. _So, 'better later than never' doesn't always work, huh? Right about time to start thinking of how to wiggle out of that situation with as much dignity as possible_.

"I heard their chocolate chip cookies taste like heaven," Alaric said at last as he approached her. "We could also go and catch a movie afterwards." He offered at they started to walk.

"That would be nice. On one condition though," her face was mock serious. "Nothing about the vampires."

He reached out and took her hand lacing their fingers, "Deal."

_Here it comes ready or not  
We both found out it's not how we thought  
That it would be, how it would be  
If the time could turn us around  
What once was lost may be found  
For you and me, for you and me_

"_It is what it is" by Lifehose~_

**The end

* * *

**

**Author's note:** It's short, I know. I decided not to go way too deep into the whole 'Damon and Stefan are the vampires too' because (1) it wasn't his secret to tell and (2) if I did, then it would be another boring 10-chapter story and I just wanted to make some Jalaric fluff :)

Comments are always appreciated 33

Mistakes and typos are all mine

I hadn't been writing for a while so please, don't be harsh. I feel a little rusty. Besides, it is my first TVD fic, so please consider that before throwing rotten tomatoes at me :)))


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